Ash-sifter.



No. 632,280. Y Patented Sept. 5, |899. L. E. P'ULSIFER.

ASH SIFTER.

(Applicatonled Apn 19, 1899.)

2 Shee's-Sheet l,

(No Model.)

N .MQ

Witnesses nvenfor.

(No Modal.)

Patented Sept. 5, i899. L. E. PULSIFEH. 4

ASH SIFTER.

{Application filed Apr. 19, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2` Ill I ai" "ump @L mit Witnesses Inverzar.

IIN-MED i STATES PATENT OFFICE..

LIIEXVELLYN EMERSON PULSIFER, OF PARIS, MAINE.

ASH-SIFTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,280, datedseptember 5, 1899.

Application tiled April 19, 1899. Serial No. 713,689. (No model.) r

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, LLEWELLYN EMERSON PULSIFER, a citizen ot' the UnitedStates, residing at Paris, in the county of Oxford and State of Maine,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ash-Sifters; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains tomake and use the same. My invention relates to improvements inash-sitters.

It is designed to provide an ash-sifter which while in use is entirelyclosed and in which the cinders are retained constantly in the panduring the entire process of sifting.

It is also designed to enable a pan of 'any ordinary dimensions to beused in a given sitter.

In the drawings herewith accompanying and making a part of thisapplication, Figure l is a vertical sectional view with the shaft andratchet in elevation. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view ofsame. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View similar to Fig. l, showing thepan and screen in operative position, parts being broken away. Fig. 4 isa view similar to that shown. in Fig. 2, parts being broken away and thedoor closed; and Fig. 5 is a plan View of the rear end of the box,showing the movable end slide.

The same letters of reference refer to like parts.

In said drawings, A represents a suitable housing which may be mountedon supports B, the lower portion of the housing terminating in inclinedwalls C to direct the ashes into the ash-box below. Mounted in thehousing is a shaft D, terminating on the outside in a crank E. Looselysecured on said shaft is a frame F, to the bottom of which is secured ascreen-cloth G. On the shaft is a ratchet II, and in the side of theframe is pivoted a pawl I, adapted to engage therewith. Beneath the freeend of the ratchet is a spring J, which is designed normally to hold thepawl in engagement with the ratchet. Supported on the shaft by flexiblechains K is a carrier L, upon which is to be placed the pan V,containing the ashes to be sifted. rlhe length of the chains should besufficient to allow ample room for the insertion of pans of differentheights between the screen and the carrier, and in order that when thechain is wound around the shaft, as hereinafter explained, it-

may wind evenly it is found advantageous to have the chain extenddiagonally, so that it will wind a single coil on the shaft and neverone coil upon another. The pawl being of necessity located outside thecenter of the frame, it is necessary to provide some means for restoringthe balance. This may be done in any convenient manner-as, for example,by cutting away a portion of the frame on that side on which the leveris located, as seen at Y, Fig. 2.

In the housing is made a door M, which for convenience should beadjacent to the sifting mechanism. The door may be provided with asuitable latch N and has a flexible supportin g-chain O, one end securedto the frame and the other to the door, to permitl the door when open toassu me a substantially horizontal posi` tion, as seen in Fig. 2. Thisserves as a shelf to place the ash-pan on preparatory to insert- Ving itthrough the housing upon the carrier.

In the bottom of the housing is a closed ashboxP, having at the top asliding door Q, projecting through the housing, as seen at X, Fig. l,and at the rear end an opening R, said opening being covered by avertical slide S. Said drawer may be provided with a handle T on theoutside, and the drawer is arranged so that when it is removed from thehousing it takes with it thetop and end slidesand may be carried by thehandle in an absolutelyclosed condition, so that no ashes can be spilledwhile bein g transferred from the housing to the ash-barrel.

The operation of my improved device is as follows: The ash-pancontaining the ashes and cinders to be sifted is placed through the doorupon the carrier when the carrier is down in the position shown in Figs.1 and 2. The crank is turned, and thereby the flexible chains whichsupport the carrier are wound around the shaft, causing the carrier,with its pan, to rise until the pan comes into contact with the screenon the bottom of the frame, and when the top of the pan contacts withthe screen the winding is checked and the screen, pan, and carrier arerotated in the direction and in the manner indicated by the arrow inFig. 4, the pawl and ratchet pre- IOO venting any reverse movement ofthe screen mechanism. IVhen it is desired to release the pan, it isnecessary to press down upon the end of the pawl, thus disengaging itfrom the ratchet, and the crank is turned in the opposite direction, if,indeed, the'weight of the pan on the carrier is not sufficient of itselfto cause the carrier to descend again into the position shown in Figs. land 2, and thus permit the pan to be removed. Of course nothing but finedust will escape through the mesh of the screen, the einders when thesifting is completed remaining still in the pan.

It will be evident that pans of any reasonable size and shape, limitedonly by the area of the screen, can be used.

The advantages of the closed ash-box are that during the Operation ofsifting the top slide may be withdrawn from over the box, but notentirely out of the housing, which renders it impossible for any dust orashes to escape from the housing, that pans of different size may beused, and that when the sifting is completed and the slide pushed in thebox, with the ashes, can be carried about without danger of spilling andemptied without covering the person with dust.

Having thus described my invention and its use, I claim-- l. In anash-sitter, a housing, a rotary shaft mounted therein, a screen looselymounted on said shaft, a carrier adapted to hold an ashpan,and flexiblesupports connecting said carrier to said shaft, whereby, by the rotationof said shaft, the carrier is caused to reciprocate relative to saidscreen.

2. In an ash-sifter, ahousing, a rotary shaft journaled therein, ascreen loosely mounted on said shaft, means for normally preventing thebackward rotation of said shaft, a car rier adapted to hold an ash-pan,and flexible supports connecting said carrier with said shaft, whereby,by the rotation of said shaft, the carrier is caused to reciprocaterelative to said screen.

3. In an ash-sifter, a housing, a rotary shaft journaled therein, ascreen loosely mounted on said shaft, a carrier adapted to hold an ash.-pan, and flexible supports connecting said shaft and carrier, saidsupports inclining downwardly and inwardly, whereby on turning the shaftthe supports are wound in a single coil upon the shaft and the carrieris maintained constantly in a horizontal position.

el. In an ash-sifter, ahousin g, a rotary shaft journaled therein, acounterbalanced screen mounted on said shaft, a paWl-and-ratchetmechanism adapted to lock .the screen against backward rotation, acarrier adapted to hold an ash-pan, and flexible supports connectingsaid carrier and shaft, whereby the carrier is caused to approach thescreen by the rotation of the shaft.

' In testimony whereof I aiiii my signature, in presence of twowitnesses, this 10th day of April, 1899.

LLEWELLYN EMERSON PU LSIFE R.

IVitnesses:

CLAYTON K. BROOKS, WALTER L. GRAY.

